Sheet-metal-scroll cutter



A, O. KITTREDGE.

SHEET METAL SCROLL GUTTER.

Patented May 17,1887.

1/1re @fait w. 0 my,

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANSON O. KIITREDGE, OF SLATE HILL, NIl\V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE l VULCANCOMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHEETMETALSCROLL CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,977, dated May 17,1887.

Application filed September ifi, 1.186. Serial No. 111705.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANSON O. KITTREDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Slate Hill, Orange county, New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Sheet- Metal Scroll Cutters withTurning-Knives, fully described and represented in the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to that class of sheet- Inetal-scroltcuttingmachines in which a shearing-cutter is sustained at or about the levelof the worktable and a similar cutter is'reciprocated in contacttherewith, the machine being adapted to cut the metal upon any desiredlines when fed thereto by the hands ofthe operator and turned in therequired directions.

The object of the improvement is by .means of the operators lower limbsto rotate the two cutters simultaneously in a horizontal plane, so as tomove the line ofthe cutting-edgesinto a direction approximating to thatofthe lines which require cutting upon the sheet metal, and to thusavoid the turning of the sheet metal through large angles upon thetable. It is especially desirable to thus move the cutters by theoperator-s lower limbs, because the turning` ofthe cutters must beeffected in practice during the cutting of various curved lines when theoperators hands are wholly occnpied'in directing and holding the sheetmetal in contact with the cutters.

My invention therefore consists, essentially,

in fitting both the upper and lower cutters into rotary holders gearedtogether and connected with a knee-lever or equivalent device beneaththe table, so as to be operated by the knee or foot ot' the operator,and to thus leave his hands enti rely free to manipulate the sheetmetal.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a machineprovided with Vmy improvement, the cutter-gearing consisting of toothedsectors, and one of the table-brackets being omitted to expose the lowerspindle. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan ofthe same with the parts above the line .r .fc in Fig. 1 removed and thetable shown only in. dotted lines. FigAis a similar plan,

(No model.)

showing the sectors connected by wire ropes instead of teeth. Fig. 5 isa plan of the kncelever. Fig. (i is a section of the reciprocatingcutter-slide, and Fig. 7 is a section of the lower cutter'bearing, bothsections being taken on line c.: in Fig. 1, and the rotary spindleixreach being only sectioned in part where hatched.

A is the bed of the machine, supported on a frame or legs, A', andcarryinga goose-neck, B, which supports at its front end a reciprocatingcutterslide, C. A shaft, D, is fitted through the goose-neck, and has acrank-pin, c, of short stroke atits front end to vibrate the slide C,and a pulley, D', at its rear end to rotate the shaft continuously whenthe machine is in use. The slide C carries a vertical cutter-spindle, b,provided with a removable cutter, a, at its lower end, and the front endof the bed is provided with a bearing,j", carryinga cutter-spindle, g,having the lower cutter, e, iitted removably in its upper end.

The table II is fitted around the upper end of the spindle g, and isattached to the bed by brackets h. Toothed sectors l are secured to theadjacent parts of the cutter spindles, and are operated by similarl butlonger sectors, k, which are secured toa vertical shaft, I, insertedinside the goose-neck at the rear end of the work-table. rlhis shaft isextended downward through the bed A, and is provided beneath the bedwith a lever, J, which is extended toward the front of the machinebeneath the table.

The front end of the lever is constructed with a fork, J', to embracethe operators knee, so that the latter may move the lever laterally bythe use of his lower limb, while his hands are engaged in shifting thesheet metal and feeding it to the cutters.

The sectors k are made longer than the sectors d, so that a smalllatcralmovement ofthe lever H may serve to rotate the cutters through an angleof at least forty-iive degrees each way Vfrom their central position.

In the plan in Fig. 3 the effect of the lever upon the cutters may beseen, the oscillation of the shaft I operating to turn the sectors kseveral times greaterthan that of the sectors d, to turn the latter andthe cutter spindles around several times as much as the shaft I ismoved. An oscillation of the knee-lever and shaft I through a fewdegrees at each side of the central position thus effects the turning ofthe cutters forty-five degrees, more or less, and brings the line of thecutting-edges into avery favorable position for cutting obliquelywithout shifting the sheet metal very much upon the work-table H. As thesectors 7c are attached to the same shaft and operate alike upon boththe cutter-spindles, any intermediate angular position may be given tothe cutters at pleasure; and the operator may thus vset the cuttersinany convenient position,either before or during the cutting operation,the

f shifting being, in thelatter case, effected gradually, when the cutison a curved line, to bring the cutting-edges into correspondence Awiththe varying angle of the cut. By this costruction the operator can workupon large pieces of sheet metal with much less turning of the latter onthe table and with a corresponding saving in time and fatigue.

The table H is arranged over the lower pair of sectors, and the sheetmetal is thus kept from contact with the same, and both thecutter-spindles are provided with collars, as at b' and g, at theirouter ends, to prevent end movement in their bearings. The spindleg isthus' held firmly in the bearing f, except when turning therein, and thespindle I) is reciprocated constantly with the slide C.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated another means of connecting the sectors, toshow that it is immaterial to my invention how the cutterspindles aregeared together and connected with the operators knee or foot. In thisiignre a round disk, d', is secu-red to each of the cutter spindles, anda pair of smooth'sectors,

7c', of larger radius are attached tothe shaft I. y

A wire rope,.Z, is attached to each of the sectors k', and is fastenedto the disk d', so as to turn the latter and the attached spindles whenthe sectors la are rotated.

The rope operates on only a portion of the periphery of the disk d', butsuch portion being a concentric sector of a circle, the tension of theropes is unaltered, and the oscillation of theshaft I is conveyed to thecutter-spindles in the most effective manner.

To tighten the ropes or to adjust the cutters in their requiredrelation, the ends of the ropes are attached to the sectors 7c bytighteningbolts m, having nuts u, which can be readily adjusted whenrequired.

Having thus set forth the nature'and operation of my invention,- it willbe seen that the essential part of my invention is the gearing of thecutter spindles or holders together and to a lever actuated bythe lowerlimb of the operator, so as to leave his hands entirelyfree to guide thesheet metal. It is not therefore essential that the cutters should besustained and rotated precisely as shown herein, provided sueh rotationbe effected as I have described.

The lower cutter, although rotary in a horizontal plane, may be regardedas stationary in reference to the upper cutter, which is reciprocated toproduce the cut.

It is obviously immaterial whether the upper or lower cutter isreciprocated.

I have not broadly claimed herein the com bination, with a pair ofshearing-blades, of means for turning their cuttingedges simultaneouslyin relation to the sheet metal, as I have claimed the same jointly withF. M. Leavitt in my allowed patent application No. 181,311, filedOctober 29, 1885, but haverestricted my present claim to the particulararrangement of such means below the table.

Having thus defined my invention, what I claim herein isn 1. In asheet-metal-scroll cutter, the combination,with horizontally-rotatingholders car.- rying, respectively, a stationary and a reciprocatingcutter, of means for gearing the said holders together to rotatesimultaneously and means beneath the work-table for rotating suchholders by the lower limb of the operator.

2. In a sheet-metal-scroll cutter, the combination, with two rotatablevertical spindles, b and g, carrying,respectively, a stationary and areciprocating cutter, and a vertical shaft, I, mounted in the rear ofthe work-table and actuated by the lower limb of the operator, of

sectors attached, respectively, to the shaft I and to the spindles b andg, and connected together, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a sheet-metal-scrollcutter, the combination, with a lower cutter,of a reciprocating slide having a rotary spindlejournaled there- .in andcarrying an upper cutter in contact with the said lower cutter, as andfor the p urpose set forth.

4. In a sheet-metal-scroll cutter, the combination, with the bed A,carrying bearings f andspindle g, of the goose-neck B, carrying IOO IIO

the reciprocating slide C, the slide having the spindle b tted to rotatetherein, and the spindles b and g being geared together and to the shaftI, provided with the forked knee-lever J, as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in t-he presence of twosubscribing wit- IIGSSGS.

ANSON O. KITTREDGE. Vitnesses:

JENNIE VAN WYcK, Trios. S. CRANE.

